Resetting mechanism for knitting machines



9, 1965 A. ZWINGENBERGER ,168,821

RESETTING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed May 23, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 L/MOR" AAA a Z/wM/R s FIG. 4

Mar: 4 Ma Feb. 9, 1965 Filed May 25, 1961 A. ZWINGENBERGER 3,168,821

RESETTING MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGS iram:

IP/a Zr/37084 5 .to a plurality of thread guides therein,

United States Patent 8 Claims. (01. 66-84) The present invention is related to knitting machines, and more particularly to a resetting mechanism common particularly Raschel machines.

In the production of fancy fabrics, it is known to provide patterning mechanisms, e.g. a Jacquard, for selecting the individual thread guides. A permanent resetting force is exerted on the thread guides by means of weights or springs holding them in the operating or initial positions. It is a substantial disadvantage of those known devices that they require much space because a separate weight or spring has to be used for each thread guide. It weights are provided, their low falling speed is a further drawback. I

It is an object of the present invention to improve the construction of knitting machines comprising a patterning mechanism.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide thread guiding apparatus of simple and compact design.

According to the invention, I provide a common resetting member common to the thread guide and capable of exerting a repositioning force on each guide. The resetting member which is preferably spring-loaded may engage projections or recesses of the individual guides.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 shows a side elevation of the thread control section of a Raschel machine embodying the invention and showing the thread guides in their lowered position;

FIG. 1a is a view similar to one side of FIG. 1, but with the respective thread guide in its raised position;

FIG. 2 is a front View of one reset member assembly as seen from the right of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of one of the bars serving as thread guides;

FIG. 4 is an edgewise view of the same thread guide;

FIG. 5 is a side view of one of the leaf springs for the thread guides; and

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a similar leaf spring, wherein FIGS. 3-6 appear on a somewhat enlarged scale.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 1a thereof, two rows of thread guides, of which one guide, 5 and 6, respectively, is shown in each row, are slidably mounted on guide bars 3 and 4, respectively, both secured to a supporting beam 2 which is pivotally and axially movable on a shaft '1. Besides their swinging (indicated by the arrow 29) and lateral movements, the guides 5, 6 are shifted up and down in the direction of the arrow 30, controlled by a suitable patterning or Jacquard mechanism of conventional design, and schematically indicated in FIG. 1 at 60. One cord 7, 8 per thread guide, pulled by the Jacquard mechanism 60, serves to raise the selected thread guide 5 or 6 and to hold it in the upper starting position in a conventional manner, as shown in FIGS. 1a and 2, and identified by numeral 6.

According to the invention, I provide for each of the rows of thread guides 5 and 6 a common resetting member, shown as respective bars 11, 12 attached to several plate springs 13, 14. Each plate spring is secured with ICC its top end to a cylindrical member 45, 46, which is slidable in an associated ball guide sleeve 15, 16 and depressed by helical springs 9, 10, respectively. The bottom ends of plate springs 13, 14 are secured to respective support membersSS, 56 attached by conventional means to the respective bars 11, 12 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The Jacquard mechanism will raise the selected thread guides by pulling the cords 7, 8, hereby compressing the springs 9, 10 which tend to hold the guides 5, 6 in the operating position shown in FIG. 1.

The bars 11, 12, extending over the entire width of the machine, are provided at their lower ends with edges 17, 18 made of a suitable plastic or synthetic material, e.g. polyamide, to minimize frictional wear. The thread guides 5 and 6 are designed as plate bars 19, 20 (bar 20 being shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) turned edgewise and have respective recesses 21, 22 for positive engagement with the edges 17, 18. Transmitting the force of the springs 9, 10, the edges press against the lower edges of the re cesses 21, 22 and thus hold the thread guides 5, 6 in causes the common bars 11 or 12 to move upward against 7 the force of the springs 9 or 10. Thread guides not selected by the Jacquard are held in operating position by leaf springs 23, 24, (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Each spring has an inwardly bent bottom portion 35 (best shown in FIGS. 1, 1a and 5) adapted to engage corresponding recesses 34 provided in bars 19 and 20 (illustrated in FIG. 3). In FIG. 1, thread guide 6 is in its lowermost position, with spring portion 35 engaging recess 34; in FIG. 1a, guide 6' is moved up by the Jacquard mechanism 60, so that recess 34 is above and out of engagement with portion 35 of spring 24. The thread guides 5 and 6 interact with needles, one of which is shown schematically at 28, in the usual knitting operation, the needle movement being indicated by the arrow 31.

The thread guides 5, 6 have to be reciprocated by the patterning mechanism 60 only far enough to be out of tain ones of the guides are raised by the Jacquard cords '7', 8, the bottom edges of the recesses 21, 22 will entrain and lift the respective edges 17, 18 protruding therein. The edges will then slide upward within the recesses of the non-raised guides until they come close to or even abut the top edges of the non-raised recesses. The thickness of the edges 17, 18 is somewhat larger than the depth of the recesses 21, 22 so that the bars 11, 12 may move past the plate bars 19, 20 without entraining them.

When the patterning mechanism or Jacquard 60 releases the selected guides, they will no longer support the resetting bars 11, 12 and hold the springs 9, 10 in a compressed condition. Upon release of the cords 7, S the guides will positively and without delay be returned by the action of bars 11, 12 to their downward, operative positions. During this movement, the edges 17, 18 slide downward within the recesses of those guides which were previously not raised by the Jacquard.

The leaf springs 23, 24 may be formed by cutting slots into metal sheets and bending the strips thus made to the tions. The same effect may be accomplished by a rod made of synthetic, pressed against the row of thread guides. 1

The common bars 11, 12 are guided by ball guide sleeves 15,16 mounted. on the supporting beam 2 by means of angle brackets 25. Depending on the width of the machine, any suitable number of sleeves 15, 16 'may be provided, e.g.'four or six, only two being shown in FIG. 2 associated with common resetting bar 12. Each spring 9, is adjustably checked by a plate 32 connected with the bracket 26 by screw bolts 25, 27. The springs exert a permanent reset force on the bars 11 and 12.

While a specific embodiment has been shown and described in detail, the invention may be carried out by other means without departing from'its scope.

1. A resetting mechanism for returning thread guides of knitting machines from inoperative positions to their operative positions, said machines having a plurality of thread guides and a patterning mechanism for individually selecting and displacing said thread guides out of said operative positions, said mechanism comprising at least oneelong'ated resetting member in simultaneous engagement with said thread guides,'means for permanently exerting a resetting force on said member so that said resetting force acts through said member on said thread guides'to urge the latter toward their operative positions, respectively,-a thread guide which is displaced from said operative to its inoperative position by the patterning mechanism displacing said member in opposition to said means for exerting said resetting force, and means guiding said member for movement longitudinally of said thread guides.

2. A resetting mechanism for knitting machines having a plurality of thread guides and a patterning mechanism for individually'selecting said raising said thread guides, said mechanism being in simultaneous engagement with said thread guidesfand means for permanently exerting a resetting force in said mechanisms, wherein said thread guides have portions provided with recesses fo r engagement with said mechanism.

3. A resetting mechanism for knitting machines having a plurality of thread guides and a patterning mechanism for individually selecting and raising said thread guides, said mechanism being in simultaneous engagement with said thread guides, and means for permanently exerting a resetting force in said mechanism, further comprising an elongated member made of a plastic material and having a peripheral portion in engagement with said thread said thread guides, and means for permanently exertinga resetting force in said mechanism, further comprising means for locking said thread guides in their operating positions.

5. A resetting mechanism as claimed in claim 4, wherein said locking means comprises leaf springs consisting of metal sheets having slots therein forengagement with said thread guides.

6. A knitting machine having at least two rows of thread guides displaceable between operative and inoperative positions and a patterning mechanismfor individually displacing selected ones of said thread guides from said operative to said inoperative position, comprising one resetting member common to at least one row of said thread guidesand adapted for engagement with all thread guides of said one row, and means for permanently and independently exerting a biasing force on said'resetting members for acting through said. resetting members .on those thread guides which have been displaced to said inoperative position for urging said displaced thread guides toward their operative positions, so that the action of one resetting member on a row of "thread guides eliminates the necessity of individual springs for the individual thread guides, respectively, a thread guide when displaced 'from said operative to said inoperative position acting on said resetting member for displacing the latter together with the latter thread guide in. opposition to said biasing.

force. a

7. A knitting machine comprising, in combination, a

plurality of thread guides adapted to be reciprocated between operative and inoperative positions, means for urging selected ones of said thread guides into said inoperative position, a shaft for carrying the operative elements of the machine, a supporting beam mounted on said shaft, a guide bar carried by said supporting beam and adapted to guide said thread guides in their reciprocation therealong, a resetting member common to said thread guides and adapted to bias the latter into their operative position, spring means for exerting a resetting force on said resetting member, and sleeve means secured to said supporting beam for slidably guiding said resetting member, the latter being operative in returning said selected thread guides References Qitcd in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No 3,168,821 February 9 1965 Arno Zwingenberger It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line 44, for "said", first occurrence, read and Signed and sealed this 29th day of June 1965.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Aitcsting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. A RESETTING MECHANISM FOR RETURNING THREAD GUIDES OF KNITTING MACHINES FROM INOPERATIVE POSITIONS TO THEIR OPERATIVE POSITIONS, SAID MACHINES HAVING A PLURALITY OF THREAD GUIDES AND A PATTERNING MECHANISM FOR INDIVIDUALLY SELECTING AND DISPLACING SAID THREAD GUIDES OUT OF SAID OPERATIVE POSITIONS, SAID MECHANISM COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE ELONGATED RESETTING MEMBER IN SIMULTANEOUS ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID THREAD GUIDES, MEANS FOR PERMANENTLY EXERTING A RESETTING FORCE ON SAID MEMBER SO THAT SAID RESETTING FORCE ACTS THROUGH SAID MEMBER ON SAID THREAD GUIDES TO URGE THE LATTER TOWARD THEIR OPERATIVE POSITIONS, RESPECTIVELY, A THREAD GUIDE WHICH IS DISPLACED FROM SAID OPERATIVE TO ITS INOPERATIVE POSITION BY THE PATTERNING MECHANISM DISPLACING SAID MEMBER IN OPPOSITION TO SAID 